Alexander Lukashenko
Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko (August 30,1954 – )is President of Belarus, having assumed the post on 20 July 1994. Before his career as a politician, Lukashenko worked as director of a state-owned agricultural farm and spent time with the Soviet Border Troops and the Soviet Army. When he first entered politics, he was seen as a champion against corruption and was the only deputy to vote against the independence of Belarus from the Soviet Union.
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| “ | My position and the state will never allow me to become a dictator, but an authoritarian style of rule is characteristic of me, and I have always admitted it. You need to control the country, and the main thing is not to ruin people's lives. | „ |
| ~ Alexander Lukashenko, August 2003 |
Under Lukashenko's rule, the Belarusian government's conduct has been criticized in reports by international non-government organizations for violations of human rights and of international law. [8] [9] [10] Belarus has been called "the last true remaining dictatorship in the heart of Europe" by former and current European and American leaders.[11] [12] He and other Belarusian officials are also the subject of sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United States for human rights violations off and on since 2006.[13][14] His domestic policies are similar to those of the former Soviet Union, maintaining government control over key industries and denouncing the privatization seen in other former Soviet republics.